1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bow display, storage and hoop substitute device for a doll's skirt, and more particularly, to a device used to store bows from bridal shower and wedding gifts and substitute as a hoop to expand a bride doll's wedding skirt.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It is traditional for a soon-to-be bride to save bows attached to gifts given to her at her bridal shower and wedding. The problem that the future bride faces is where to store the bows. One method of storing the bows is under the bride doll's wedding skirt.
Prior art designs, as disclosed in Bridal Crafts magazine, January, 1996, pages 33-36, utilize a circular cardboard base with a small orifice at the center. The base is set on a planar surface, the doll's feet are positioned in the orifice, a slip attached to the dolls waist is glued to the edge of the orifice. Next, a skirt made from lace material is attached to the doll's waist, then glued around the perimeter of the cardboard base except for a small opening to insert the bows therein. Once the bows have been placed within the chamber the lace perimeter is completely glued to the cardboard base. Thus, the lace and cardboard form the doll's skirt and a bow storage chamber that allows the box to be viewed.
The problem with the aforementioned design is that it is very difficult to remove the bows. One must detach the lace at the dolls waist to get to the bows. Further, one must "guess" at the cardboard base diameter which is dependent upon the quantity of bows that need to be stored. If the base diameter is to small, the storage chamber will not accept all the bows. If the base diameter is to large, there won't be enough bows to fill the chamber thereby allowing the lace material and skirt to "sag" on the doll. This "sag" diminishes the hoop skirt characteristic that provides elegance to the doll's skirt.
Other prior art doll accessories are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,643; 5,040,679; and 4,749,088; however, these patents do not teach one how to store bows under a bridal doll's wedding dress.
A need exists in the art for a bow storage device that is inexpensive, easily attaches to a bridal doll, provides for easy insertion and removal of bows from the device, and is hidden under the skirt yet lifts the skirt outward without using a base thereby presenting a hoop skirt characteristic.